Bathing suit



March 19, 1935. FLESH BAT HING SUIT Filed Sept, 28, 1934 ATTORNEY$' Patented Mar. 19, 1935 BATHING SUIT Alfred L. Flesh, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The Piqua Hosiery Company, Inc.,

corporation of Ohio Piqua, Ohio, 2.

Application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,856

= Claims.

This invention relates to bathing suits, especially womens suits of the one-piece style, and is concerned more particularly with a novel bathing suit which is of attractive appearance, af-

5 fords support for the bust of the wearer, and can be worn with complete comfort and without binding because of certain features of adjustment incorporated in it.

The garment is of the backless type and it intached thereto, and a top which covers substantially only the front of the body of the wearer. Preferably, the top is shaped to conform to the figure and provide additional fulness for the bust, and for this purpose, the top may be formed of an upper section covering the bust and a lower section below the bust, the two sections being connected together by a curved seam extending from one side edge of the top to the other. This seam lies immediately beneath the bust and'it has a high point at the middle and dips downwardly on both sides thereof to follow the lower outline of the bust. Along its lower edge, the upper section may be cut and gathered to provide a fulness at the desired places, the gathering being effected bymeans of seams extending generally upward from the curved seam referred t In order that the top may fit the body snugly and afford substantial support, it is provided with adjustable strap means at the back of the garment connecting the upper end and side edges of the top. The strap means are so positioned as'to lie wholly above a plane through the greatest fulness of the bust and their construction is such that as they are tightened, they draw the top against the body with an upward pull both at the front and sides, and this results in the desired uplift effect and causes the top to fit smoothly without gaping.

While the strap means referred to may take various forms, I prefer to employ two sets of straps, one set consisting of a pair of relatively short shoulder straps attached to the top at its upper end in spaced relation and the other set consisting of a pair of side straps connected either to the opposite side edges of the top, or to extensions from the opposite side edges, below the upper end thereof. The side straps are slidably 50 connected to the shoulder straps and have free ends which may be tied together between the ,slidable connections to draw the top of the garment smoothly against the body. The points at which the side straps are connected to the top lie above the greatest fulness of the bust and cludes a skirt, trunks within the skirt and atbelow the free ends of the shoulder straps, and the side straps thus extend upwardly from their points of connection with the top to the slidable connections with the shoulder straps and consequently serve in effect as continuations of the curved seam by which the two sections of the top the side straps are drawn tight and tied, they tend to lie straight across the back but this the shoulder straps. exerted, a downward pull on tendency is resisted by As a consequence,

the free ends of the there is shoulder straps and an upward pull on the sides of the garment in line with seam. The downward pull on shoulder straps results in the the ends of the curved the free ends of the top of the garment,

being pulled upwardly, and the upward pull in line with the ends of the curved seam supplements the pull at the upper end of the top. A considerable uplift for the bust is thus provided and it may be controlled by varying the straps are drawn before reference may be made to drawing, in which the tightness with which being tied.

For a better understanding of the invention,

the accompanying Figure l is a back view of the new garment with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 22 of Figure 1 with parts broken away; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary garment.

The garment as illustrated and trunks 11 within front view of the includes a skirt 10 the skirt, these trunks extending up to the waistline and being attached to the skirt by stitching skirt. Extending upward 12 along the front of the from the skirt is a top 13 and this top covers substantially only the front of the body of the wearer, back. The top of the being cut low at the trunks is secured to the skirt along the lower edge of the back opening,

and preferably the top edge the back conforms to the low opening 15 and is enclosed within the lower edge of the back opening so margin of the 14 of the trunks at er edge of the back inturned 'as to form a single hem. The top is preferably formed of an upper section 16 and a lower section 1'7, these sections being co seam 18 which dips downwardly nnected by a curved from its high mid-point 19 toward the two side edges of the top. The seam 19 conforms to the lower outline of the bust and the upper section is made full above this seam by being gathered as indicated by the generally vertical seams 20 The entire top ing 22. x

In order that the top may and the seams 21.

is preferably provided with a linflt the body snugly and provide the desired uplift, strap means are provided, connecting spaced points at the upper and opposite side edges of the top. In the garment illustrated, the strap means include shoulder straps 23 which are connected to the upper end of the top at spaced points, and the top may have a straight upper edge to which the straps are connected, or it may be formed with spaced upward extensions 24 from which the shoulder straps extend. If desired, the shoulder straps may be formed as one continuous piece secured to the top by stitching along the upper end thereof, this construction being illustrated. The shoulder straps are of relativelyshort length and their free ends at the back of the wearer normally lie above the greatest fulness of the bust of the wearer.

In addition to the shoulder straps, the garment is provided with side straps 25 connected to the opposite side edges of the top below the upper end thereof and at points lying above the greatest fulness of the bust. The top may have substantially vertical side edges, but I prefer to provide the side edges of the top with extensions 26 of generally triangular shape and to attach the side straps to the ends of these extensions. In the garment illustrated, the extensions have upper edges 27 constituting continuationsof the upper edges 28 of the top and relatively short, while the sloping vertical edges 29 of the extensions are relatively long. The side straps 25 and the shoulder straps 23 are slidably connected, and for this purpose, the shoulder straps are preferably formed with loops 30 at the ends thereof, through which the side straps are threaded.

When the new garment is put on, the side straps threaded through the shoulder straps are drawn tight and their free ends are tied together between the loops 30. As the free ends of the shoulder straps lie above a plane through the points of connection of the side straps to the top, the side straps extend upwardly from their points of connection with the top to their points of connection with the shoulder straps, and in effect form continuations of the seam 18. When the side straps are drawn tight, they tend to draw down on the shoulder straps and the latter pull the top upwardly. At the same time, the pull of the side straps on the sides of the body is in an upward direction and this pull is concentrated on the seam 18 below the bust. The total effect, therefore, is to cause the top to uplift the bust as well as to fit the body snugly.

While the adjustable strap means described may be used advantageously in a garment not provided with the curved bust seam 18 or with a top shaped to conform to the bust, a garment which includes the straps, the gatherings, and the curved seam gives the greatest uplift effect and is, therefore, most desirable. In all forms of garments constructed in accordance with the invention, there is no interference with the bodily movements in swimming and the desired exposure of the back is obtained without any tendency to gaping or sagging.

What I claim is:

1. A bathing suit comprising trunks and a top portion extending upwardly from the trunks in front, a pair of shoulder straps connected to the upper part of the top portion and spaced apart to pass over the shoulders, a pair of side straps connected to opposite sides of the top portion, each side strap being slidably connected to a shoulder strap and said side straps having free ends adapted to be tied together between the slidable connections to the shoulder straps, the slidable connection of the shoulder straps with each side strap lying, whenthe bathing suit is worn, at a higher level than the respective points of connection of the side straps with the top portion whereby the side straps extend upwardly from their respective points of connection with the top portion to the slidable connection with the shoulder straps so that when tension is applied to the side straps the top portion is sub-' jected to an uplifting and laterally tensioning action imparted to it at the points where the side straps are connected to the top portion, and a downward pull is exerted upon the shoulder straps and produces an upward pull at the upper end of the top portion.

2. A bathing suit comprising trunks and a top portion extending upwardly from the front, a pair of shoulder straps ,connected to the upper part of the top portion and spaced apart to pass over the shoulders, an extension from each side edge of the top portion adapted to extend at least partly behind the wearer, a pair of side straps connected to said extensions, each side strap being slidably connected to a shoulder strap and said side straps having free ends adapted to be tied together between the slidable connections to the shoulder straps, the connection of the shoulder straps with each side strap lying, when the bathing suit is worn, at a higher level than the respective points of connection of the side straps with said extensions, whereby the side straps extend upwardly from their points of connection with the extensions to the slidable connections with the shoulder straps so that when tension is applied to the side straps each extension is subjected to an uplifting and laterally tensioning action imparted to it at the point where its side strap is connected thereto, and a downward pull is exerted upon the shoulder straps and produces an upward pull at the upper end of the top portion.

3. A bathing suit comprising trunks and a top portion extending upwardly from the trunks in front, a pair of shoulder straps connected to the upper part of the top portion and spaced apart to pass over the shoulders, strap means connected to opposite sides of the top portion and adapted to extend across the back of the wearer, said'back strap means being slidably connected to the shoulder straps, the slidable connections between the shoulder straps and the back strap means lying, when the bathing suit is worn, at

a higher level than the respective points of connection of the back strap means with the sides of the top portion, whereby the back strap means extends upwardly from its respective connections to the sides of the top portion to the slidable connections so that when tension is applied to the back strap means the top portion is subjected to an uplifting and laterally tensioning action imparted to it at the points where the back strap means is connected thereto, and a downward pull is exerted upon the shoulder straps and produces an upward pull at the upper end of the top portion.

4. A bathing suit comprising trunks and a top portion extending upwardly from the trunks in front, a pair of shoulder straps connected to the upper part of the top portion and spaced apart to pass over the shoulders, said shoulder straps having loops, adjustable back strap means connected to opposite sides of the top portion and adapted to extend across the back of the wearer, said back strap means extending through the loops in the shoulder straps, said loops lying, when the bathing suit is worn, at a higher level than the respective points of connection'of the; back strap means with the sides of the top portion, whereby the back strap means extend upwardly from their respective connections to the sides, of the top portion to said loops so that whentension is applied to the back strap means the top portion is subjected to an uplifting and laterally tensioning action imparted to it at the points where the back strap means connect thereto, and a downward pull is exerted upon the shoulder straps and produces an upward pull at the upper end of the top portion.

5. A bathing suit comprising a skirt, trunks within the skirt and attached thereto, a top portion extending upwardly from the skirt and having a portion shaped to conform generally to the bust of the wearer, said top portion having a seam lying below the bust of the wearer and following generally the lower outline of the bust, shoulder straps attached to the top portion at spaced points and having free ends adapted to lie,

horizontal plane passing when the bathing suit is worn, at the back of the wearer and to terminate at a level above the through the greatest fullness of the bust of the wearer, a pair of side straps attached to the sides of the top portion at a level lower than the ends of the shoulder straps, said side straps each extending upwardly from its respective point of connection with the side of the top portion and slidably connected with its respectivelyvadjacent shoulder strap, the'upward extension of the side straps to the slidable connection being substantially a continuation of the adjacent end of said seam, said straps having free ends adapted to be tied together between said slidable connections, is applied to the side straps the top portionis subjected to an uplifting and laterally tensioning action imparted toit at the points where the side straps areconnected to the top, and a downward pull is exerted upon the shoulder straps and produces an upward pull at the upper end of the top portion.

ALFRED L. FLESH.

whereby when tension 5 

